Believe
by Valentine'sNinja
Summary: Tifa was the only person who had ever truly believed in him, but Cloud finds that after one night, he may have to prove to her just how serious he is about his feelings for her. CloudTifa, VincentYuffie.
1. Chapter 1

_I bring you all a new CloudTifa. This baby was inspired by many many things, but the main two were the song by Staind, which I named this fic after, and stories I read a while back from an awesome author on LJ, knightlineninja. If anyone is curious, I'll put a link in my bio page later on so that you can read the story that inspired this one. I hope you enjoy and that it's a change from all the ZackTifa I've been writing._

_Warnings: Just talk and references to sex. Nothing explicit, though I don't know if I'll change the rating in the next chapter._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters used in this fiction. I am making no money off of them. Also, I don't own the song, _"Believe," _by Staind. I merely used it for inspiration._

……………………………………

**Believe**

……………………………………

The temperature of the water made it feel like various little pin needles hitting his skin all at once. For only a second, it reminded him of those fuzzy moments of being strapped to a table, with a bright light burning his eyes, the sound of crazed laughter and half spat sentences echoing in the background. Cloud shook his head and pushed those memories as far away as he could. He was learning to forget those particular points in his life, and as of that morning, he had a brand new memory to add to the scarce collection.

He really couldn't recall how it had all happened. Maybe they had both had too much to drink, maybe his hormones had been on overdrive, and maybe she had needed someone to be there for her after all the lonely days she had spent without the kids. Marlene and Denzel had been invited to Rocket Town by Shera and they wouldn't return for a few days. Tifa had been even more alone for nearly a week, and the night before, they had shared a few drinks together.

Cloud could remember leaning in to brush her hair away from her eyes and she had turned to look at him with said eyes. That had been the first time in a very long time since he had met her eyes head on and he couldn't think of a more beautiful sight. After that, everything became more fuzzy, but the sensations had been all too clear. The feel of Tifa's soft skin under his rough hands, the taste of her on his lips, and the very familiar and comforting scent of her hair surrounding him, making him feel things he had never felt before. Despite all the good things, he had still managed to be clumsy and inexperienced, and still she hadn't complained.

Though he didn't remember each moment exactly, the sounds were quite clear in his memory. He remembered that hearing Tifa's breathy voice whisper his name had been the best part of the night. It was foolish, because she always said his name under normal circumstances, but it had felt different. The images were making it rather hard to keep his brain in control and he suddenly wished for the water to come down even colder. Sighing to himself, he finished rinsing his hair and then stepped out of the shower to dress and get ready for another day on the delivery job.

Once he was ready to go, he debated with himself on whether or not to leave his room, in fear that he would run right into Tifa just to make a fool of himself. He swallowed hard and worked up his courage. He couldn't believe that after defeating Sephiroth twice and then helping Vincent with Deepground he would be afraid of someone like Tifa.

That wasn't to say that she was frail and un-intimidating. She was strong in her own right, and something to be reckoned with when the people she loved were threatened or in danger. She meant so much to him and he was afraid to consider the fact that maybe she didn't feel for him what he felt for her. But they had to talk about what had happened between them, and it would kill him to learn if she regretted their night together.

Opening the door cautiously, Cloud took the moment to look around, inspecting the hallway and making sure that she was still asleep. As he stepped out and shut the door to his room, he nearly ran into Tifa as she was coming down the stairs, making absolutely no noise. They stared at each other for a long moment, Tifa's cheeks reddening and her mouth opening but with no words coming out. Cloud's eyes were wider than normal and he floundered for a few seconds, trying to find something smart to say to her.

"I should start on breakfast," she said awkwardly, beating him to it as she sidestepped him and moved down the stairs to the kitchen.

Cloud let out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding and slowly followed her. He prepared his own coffee, since that was about the only thing that he couldn't mess up in the kitchen, and watched Tifa almost absently as she moved around the kitchen with the same grace she used while bartending. Her own hair was damp from a recent shower, and her skin smelled of that powdery, lavender smell. He could remember that quite clearly, as if he was standing right behind her, taking her scent in.

Cloud froze. He _was_ standing behind her, nearly breathing her in with his nose almost pressed to her shoulder. She would probably knock him through a wall if she caught him. Quickly stepping back, Tifa turned and nearly ran into him again. "…Sorry, I was trying to get to the sugar," he muttered, his turn to blush.

Tifa just nodded and moved away to place the scrambled eggs for the both of them on the table. She had almost cooked more than usual out of habit, but had stopped herself in time. She missed the children, but was happy that they were going out and having fun. They deserved it after all the crazy situations that had been thrust upon them. "You'll be gone all day?" she asked casually, not meeting his gaze.

Cloud swallowed down the eggs and toast in his mouth and nodded, narrowly missing choking on the food. "I'll be back in about two days. I have some packages that need to be taken to Kalm. Then I'll come back and have a long weekend," he said calmly. "Maybe you should ask Yuffie to come and keep you company."

Tifa nodded and sat down at the table without a reply. He finished his food while Tifa was only half-way done with hers. "I gotta go. Call me if anything is out of the ordinary. Take care of yourself," he said with a slight smile before he was out the door.

Cloud revved up his bike and let out a long breath, realizing what a coward he had been. He had literally run out on her and hadn't even allowed her to say much to him. "Coward," he muttered to himself. Still, during the trip he would have time to think and gather the courage to ask Tifa what their night together had meant. Until then, he would just wonder.

Meanwhile, Tifa sighed and then moved over to place the dishes in the sink so that she could enjoy the rest of her coffee in peace, or with as much peace as she could when her mind was running in circles. She hated the fact that it hurt that Cloud hadn't even bothered to look uncomfortable about what they had done the night before. Did he regret it? Had he enjoyed it and wanted a repeat? Not likely. He had run out of their home as if his golden spikes had been on fire.

Shaking her head and wanting to slap herself for having silly, girly dreams, she took a seat at the table, nursing her coffee as if it were a glass of bourbon. But not two minutes after she had sat down again, the back door banged open and in pranced youth, energy, and sunshine wrapped all into a small package.

"Teef! I've got my grocery list done!" Yuffie called.

Tifa smiled at her despite her gloomy thoughts. "Good. We can go after I finish my coffee, and this time Yuffie, you need to lay off of the sweets. Chocolate bars are not appropriate substitutes for breakfast," she said, automatically switching to her _mother_ tone as Yuffie stepped into the kitchen.

"But they do help me keep up in the mornings, especially after waking up with hangovers," Yuffie said brightly.

"Well, at least buy power bars or cereal bars. Those things are a little bit more healthy than a chocolate bar," Tifa said. Yuffie stared at her for a moment and Tifa met her gaze with a bemused frown. "What?" she asked.

Yuffie squinted a little and then her eyes widened. "You had sex!"

"What?!" Tifa yelled, a plate falling from her hands and shattering as it fell back into the sink to hit against a mug. "How can you _possibly_ know _that?!_"

Yuffie shrugged. "It's a gift. I somehow figured out that Reeve was getting laid a few days ago, and he couldn't deny it. You should've seen the shade of red he turned. It was kinda like yours!" she said cheerfully. "Now, please tell me that it was Cloud!"

Tifa blushed to the point that her cheeks looked as if they were burning. "Who else would it be?" she muttered.

"How did it happen? Who made the first move? Was he truly _any_ good?" Yuffie asked quickly.

"Come on. Grab the grocery list and we can talk while we shop," Tifa said, ushering the young ninja out the door.

"Tell me!" Yuffie nearly yelled once they had been walking for a long moment in silence. The young woman just hadn't be able to hold in her curiosity.

"Well… I can't remember who made the first move. We… were… kinda drunk," Tifa muttered, a blush starting to bloom on her cheeks. "I do remember cleaning the bar, and offering him something to drink, but he wanted me to sit down and drink with him, which was a first." She could still remember how he had been before the Geostigma. He always wanted to be _alone._

"And?" Yuffie prompted. Tifa had lapsed into silence that made her eyes look sad. Yuffie could only imagine that the other woman was thinking of the past.

"After that, all I remember is him and me… tearing off clothing in his bedroom," she said quietly.

"Was it good?" Yuffie asked again.

"…Yes." Yuffie smiled so widely, it had to hurt, Tifa mused, but she didn't resist when her friend hugged her. "Still, we were acting awkward with each other this morning, and he ran out of here faster than a hungry chocobo," she said in worry. "I'm just glad the kids weren't here to witness our awkward moment. Marlene senses things and Denzel is just as street-smart as you and I."

"Must be scary to live with kids that smart." Yuffie shrugged. "It's about time they learned about the birds and the bees, Teef," she said, carefree.

Tifa shook her head. "Barret would kill me for talking to Marlene about sex at this age!"

"Hey, at her age, I had found a stash of men's magazines that belonged to the guards of the pagoda back in Wutai. I didn't freak out or get traumatized by it!"

Tifa gave her a look that said she clearly didn't believe her. "I want to preserve as much of their innocence as I can," she said quietly.

"Well, wouldn't it be better for them to hear it from you or Barret instead of finding it out from any of their little friends?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa nodded, not entirely convinced. "I guess you're right about that. But I think I'll wait and talk to Barret about it. Now, back to the issue. We were so weird around each other. Do you think he regrets it? Do you think that we probably made a mistake by doing this?"

Yuffie shook her head. "This is probably the best thing that has ever happened to Chocobo-brain. It's awkward because you guys haven't talked about what you feel for each other and what that night meant," said the ninja matter-of-factly.

Tifa thought about it for a moment and nodded. "What if this hurts our friendship and doesn't lead us to anything more?" she asked quietly. "I mean, I love him like a friend, and my crush on him faded since we started living together. He's handsome and very nice to look at, but…"

"You don't… feel anything for him?" asked Yuffie quietly.

Tifa sighed. "I do… but I closed myself off to those feelings a long time ago. I just can't go rushing headfirst into this. Not if there's a big chance that Cloud will view our night together as a mistake."

The ninja sighed. "Well, I can't tell you if what happened _will_ hurt your friendship, but I can tell you that you need to talk to Cloud to about what that night meant. You just can't guess when it comes to this," Yuffie replied.

Tifa nodded and felt her heart drop to her feet at the thought. What if Cloud didn't want them to be more than friends? What if they had crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed? What if… what if… he broke her heart and they could never be the same again? She couldn't keep thinking about it without giving herself a headache. Yuffie was right. She and Cloud needed to talk. "Why are you buying groceries if you're leaving for Wutai today?"

"Well… the trip needs to be postponed for a few days," said Yuffie.

"Why?"

"Let's just get to it and I'll tell you about some things that I have noticed recently," Yuffie said mysteriously. Tifa's curiosity peaked and she smiled as Yuffie began to talk animatedly about her favorite subject… Vincent Valentine.

………

Pulling off his goggles, Cloud sighed to himself as he secured Fenrir in the garage of the bar and made his way towards the front, where he could spot the usual customers arriving and many already sitting inside, merrily drinking. His eyes automatically swept over to the bar counter and he found his lips pulling into a frown when he saw that Tifa wasn't alone. Sitting in front of her were Reno and Rude and for the first time ever, Cloud could see the bald Turk speaking freely.

Tifa caught his eyes and they had a tense moment before she worked a sweet smile onto her face and waved. Cloud nodded towards her and walked over to grab a beer, silently greeting her as Rude watched. Meeting his eyes, even through the dark shades, Cloud sent him a warning look. Tifa turned with a glass of Corel Sangria in her hand and nearly ran into him. "Sorry," Tifa whispered staring him in the eyes.

"I'll… get out of the way," Cloud muttered, stepping back and allowing her to pass. He watched her go, looking every bit calm as she always did around him. Cloud didn't know why it disturbed him to see her so aloof. Hadn't they slept together? Wasn't that cause for them to be tense or still awkward around each other? Did she even care? He sighed to himself in irritation before making his way towards a table at the corner, near the door. It was his usual spot, and from there he could see the whole bar, including Tifa.

The door pushed open and a familiar flash of red and leather stepped in, silent as the shadows. Vincent took a seat next to him, and seemingly from out of nowhere, Yuffie appeared and handed him a glass of red wine. "Yuffie," he murmured quietly.

"You're welcome, Vince," she said with a bright smile before walking off to join Tifa at the counter.

"What brings you around here?" Cloud asked him after a long moment of silence.

"The wine," Vincent replied with a small smirk.

Cloud let out a very small laugh and nodded, his eyes trailing after Tifa as she moved around the tables and spoke amicably with the customers, old and new. He had never allowed himself the moment to just take her in as the wonderful, beautiful woman that could possibly still care for him. He knew that during their adventure to stop Sephiroth the first time, Tifa had backed away to allow him space and the chance to clear his confused head, but even then he had been able to tell that she felt something for him. He had always taken her for granted though, and had he not been so damn unstable, maybe they could've been together for years now.

He allowed his eyes to trail over her smooth skin, her sweet smile, the dark shine of her hair, and the way her eyes seemed to sparkle a dark red when light hit them from a certain angle. Somehow he could still taste her skin and feel her breath against his own. A throat cleared to his right and Cloud blinked and looked at Vincent, his cheeks coloring a little. Cloud realized that he had been holding his beer bottle half-way to his mouth and had just stopped to stare. The dark gunman merely raised an eyebrow but didn't question what he had just witnessed.

"Have I… missed something?" Vincent asked a moment later.

Cloud shook his head. "No," he said evenly.

"Tifa is a beautiful woman," said Vincent.

Blue eyes snapped to his and they weren't exactly friendly. "I know," Cloud said in a low tone. At the sight of Vincent's smirk, Cloud deflated a little and realized that the other man had been testing him.

"Maybe you should tell her that, instead of just watching her every move like a stalker," said the other man lightly.

Cloud shook his head and noticed that Tifa had gone back to talk to Rude and Yuffie was now talking animatedly to Reno. "I don't think I can."

"It can't be so hard to talk to a woman who lives with you. Just gather your courage. After all, you and Tifa are not impossible," he said, and this time, his crimson eyes were focused on the young ninja as she clinked glasses with the red-head Turk and then downed a drink.

Cloud's eyebrows scrunched together as the most wild idea crossed his mind. But then again, his brain had a history of failing him at some of the most crucial moments of his life. Vincent and Yuffie? No. Not possible. But the look on Vincent's face as he watched Yuffie, just the same way he himself had been watching Tifa, gave Cloud something to think about. "Yeah, well, it seems impossible," he muttered.

Vincent took up his empty glass and walked towards the back of the bar, where the stairs leading towards the apartment were. Cloud's curious gaze then followed Yuffie as she whispered something into Tifa's ear and then slipped up the stairs herself. A moment later, when Vincent didn't return, Cloud stood and made his way over, wary of what he would find. Maybe Vincent had murdered the energetic ninja for annoying him or setting fire to his cloak?

His eyes widened when he came face to face with something he hadn't ever expected to see in this or any lifetime. Pressed against the landing between the first and second floor was Yuffie. All he could see of her were her hands clutching red fabric and her boots. The rest of her was obscured by Vincent's tall form. Biting his lip to keep from making a sound, Cloud moved away from the obviously intimate moment of Vincent kissing Yuffie and made his way over to Tifa, who was chatting with an old, bearded man. So much for _impossible_, Cloud thought in surprise.

"And you, young man, you should be thankful of the woman you have here. She's a rare treasure. One in a million and any man would kill to have such a beautiful soul in his life," said the man to Cloud.

Tifa was blushing from his compliments and Cloud couldn't stop the slight smile on his face. "I _am _thankful. Though I may not show it too often," he said quietly, watching Tifa's mahogany eyes dart to his.

"You should go home to your wife, Mikey. I'm sure she's missing you," Tifa said gently, turning back to the man.

"I am, I am," said the old man before standing and paying. "Keep the change, sweetheart. It's been a pleasure, like always," he said before walking out the door.

"Yuffie is supposed to be helping me, but apparently she has something better to do," Tifa murmured, pouring a few more beers for the men at the bar counter. Cloud had a very uncomfortable flashback and shook his head. "Did I see Vincent come in? He didn't even say hello," she said conversationally.

_I don't think he'll be saying hello any time soon with Yuffie stuck to his mouth that way_, he mused silently. "I'll help, if you'd like," Cloud offered, watching her grateful smile. At the sight of it, her smile never failed to make his heart beat faster and caused thoughts to start running rampant in his mind. Did the smile mean anything? Was he imagining things? His eyes narrowed when he caught Reno and Rude smirking in amusement at him.

"Make a move, Strife," said Reno when Tifa stepped away to take care of the customers at tables. "Not a lot of men will care that you and her have a history. Make a move now before it's too late."

"_You_ are offering me relationship advice? Seriously?" Cloud asked him sardonically.

Reno smirked and shrugged. "It's one of my best pieces of advice, actually. So be thankful," he replied.

Cloud merely ignored him and began to wipe off the counter. The day when a Turk offered him girl advice was the day when the earth would implode. _Dramatic much? _he thought silently to himself. Yeah, he _was _being dramatic, but he didn't need anyone to tell him what he needed to do. He knew it and he wasn't as clueless as other people thought him to be. He was just a big stinking coward. How was he going to look her in the eyes and ask her what it meant that they had slept together?

By the time the bar closed, Tifa was half-dead on her feet, Cloud could tell. He tried his best to help her clean, but he was exhausted from the drive back and he found himself sweeping halfheartedly. Tifa noticed and managed a smile. "I think that I can take care of the rest tomorrow morning. We're both tired and we need sleep," she said, taking a seat on a stool and taking a look at her hands.

Cloud realized that she expected him to just go to his room and leave her alone, but he sat with her and remained silent. He finally worked up the courage to look at her and met her gaze head on. "I… I think we need to talk," he finally managed.

Tifa bit her lip and nodded once, her gaze leaving his as she grabbed a bottle of lotion from behind the counter and poured some into her palm. "I guess we do," she said lightly, beginning to rub her hands.

Cloud watched the motions and found his hands rising without his permission and taking hers. Even though she had been a fighter for years, and they had both lived in a rocky, mountainous part of Gaia all their childhood, Tifa had managed to keep her hands soft and smooth. Unlike his own hands. Despite the gloves that he wore, his skin was rougher than hers and though not callused, his hands weren't his best feature. He concentrated on massaging each finger, her knuckles, and the space between pointer finger and thumb.

She watched him in slight awe and then smiled, her gaze softening the way it did when she was watching the children. She hadn't eve been aware of how close they were sitting, their shoulders touching lightly as his hands rubbed over her own. Tifa swallowed hard when she noticed Cloud's face inching towards hers. Her lips parted and her breathing began to come in quick little spurts before his touched hers gently.

His kiss was nothing like the rough, desperate ones from a few nights before, mostly because they weren't being hindered by a haze of alcohol. His hands were holding hers tightly now, and Cloud couldn't believe that he had found the courage to actually kiss her without her permission and after ignoring the fact that he had wanted to talk about what had happened between them. But when she had smiled at him and looked at him that way… all common sense had flown out the window.

Tifa broke away from the kiss first and frowned to herself, confusion and elation bubbling in her chest. "I thought you wanted to talk," she said quietly, drawing her hands from his.

Cloud sighed and nodded. "I did. I mean, I do, but…" he trailed off, not able to voice his thoughts. Really, when had he ever been able to hold a true conversation with her without looking like an idiot? He ran a hand through his spikes in agitation and stood to pace. "I don't want what happened to ruin our friendship," he said lightly.

Tifa closed her eyes and swallowed back a bitter laugh without turning. She merely nodded. "Yeah. I know what you mean," she said, turning on the stool and finally looking at him. "…and the kiss?"

Cloud smiled ruefully. "I don't know," he admitted.

Tifa stood and paused in front of him, her eyes meeting his. "I wouldn't let anything ruin our friendship," she said with a smile. "Not even this. I think… we just needed comfort and… we were there." She paused and laughed lightly. "I'm not making any sense, am I?"

Cloud didn't know how to react to her words and just shook his head. "You're saying that we were just conveniently there for each other?"

She sighed. "Kind of. But… we're okay, right? We're not going to be awkward and weird around each other?"

He managed a smirk and nodded reassuringly. "You don't have to worry about me," he said lightly. "We should get to bed." At her widening eyes he gave her an embarrassed look. "You know what I mean," he said, looking away from her.

Tifa smiled at his embarrassment and nodded. "Goodnight, Cloud," she said quietly. When he gave her a quiet reply, she walked towards the stairs and to her room. Once inside, Tifa gave a sad sigh and knew that she shouldn't have gotten her hopes up. Really, why had she thought that her and Cloud having drunken sex would change anything? Tifa began to pull off her vest and shirt in order to take a quick shower before bed and nearly shrieked when there was a knock and the door opened.

"Cloud!" she yelled at him, crossing her arms over her chest as best she could. Even with her bra on, she felt naked. Damn it! This was a moment when she cursed her ample bosom more than ever!

Cloud's eyes were wide and his mouth opened for an apology, but nothing came out but a small, choked sound. Instead of stepping out and shutting the door though, he stepped into her room and _then _closed the door. His thoughts were once again running in his head, wondering if he was being stupid and was assuming too much. But she had kissed him right back with more than just the thought of them being friends on her mind.

"Cloud!" Tifa exclaimed. "What are you doing?! I need to shower," she snapped, standing there, topless and blushing all the way down her neck. Her heart was racing at the look he was giving her as she stood there half-naked was bringing back pleasant memories from a few nights before.

"I… I think I was wrong about being weird around each other," he said, his eyes roaming.

Tifa still held her arms over herself, but swallowed hard at the look he was giving her. Biting her lip, she worked up the courage to possibly do something stupid and reckless. She didn't know if this would make things worse or would make Cloud get a clue, but she slowly, almost stiffly, lowered her arms from herself and stood still.

Cloud stared, taking in the curves and the rounded skin covered by a dark navy lace bra. She was wearing his color, he realized with a light shiver. He looked into her eyes and realized that she was waiting for him to make a move. He still had thousands of doubts circling his head, followed closely by a fear of failing to… to do _it_ right.

Tifa took a step forward and stared into his eyes from under lowered lashes. Cloud found his breath hitching as this time Tifa was the one to initiate the kiss. Her lips moved like a butterfly's caress against his and Cloud found his eyes closing at the sensation as her lips moved over his cheek and jaw, towards his neck. She closed her eyes in order to not meet his gaze, afraid of what she would see, or what he would see in hers.

Their movements were soft and hesitant, as if they had never been with anyone else and that moment was their first time. His hands glided over her skin gently, as if he were trying to memorize the feel of her. Feeling him move inside her and hearing the noises coming from his throat was almost surreal, but oh very pleasurable. Tifa's eyes remained closed until that last moment, when Cloud's hand cupped her cheek and she felt him pause. "Tifa?" he murmured.

"Yeah?" she asked breathlessly.

"This isn't weird," he nearly whispered.

Tifa smiled, her eyes holding his as she strained to kiss him before everything broke and her eyes slid closed in bliss. She didn't think she had ever felt so complete in her life as she did in that moment.

……

When the sun finally rose, Tifa was the first to wake up. At first she had felt a content, warm feeling when she had felt his arms around her, her face pressed to his smooth chest. Then little niggling feelings of doubt had invaded her. They had slept together for a second time. What did Cloud have to say about that? Would they pursue some sort of relationship or was it all just a physical thing?

Tifa frowned to herself and found that her fingers had been unconsciously running over the scar in the middle of his torso. Masamune had pierced the skin there for the first time. She had known from a recount of Cloud's memories once he had been himself and no longer acting out Zack's part of the story. The story of Nibleheim's death had been one he had spoken about only to her and with a note of detachment in his voice. Tifa's heart had broken again that night, after Cloud had defeated Sephiroth for a second time. She had gone to bed in a sort of haze, unable to believe that Cloud had actually opened up to her that way.

She let out a sigh that traveled over Cloud's bare chest and he twitched a little in his sleep, making Tifa smile. "What are we doing?" she murmured to herself, unaware that Cloud had awoken at the feel of her hand on his scar.

"I don't know," he admitted, feeling Tifa jump slightly.

Tifa clutched the sheet to her front and sat up to look at him, her dark hair mussed and tumbling down her back. Cloud's hand slid through the tangled strands gently, pulling out the knots as Tifa looking at him out of the corner of her eye, red tinting her cheeks. "I don't… are we…" she paused twice, not knowing how to voice her question without effectively freaking Cloud out.

He gave her a questioning look and sat up, the sheet pooling at his waist. Cloud brushed his own fingers over the scar that Masamune had left when it had run her through. Tifa's back twitched and she folded her knees up to lean against them. "I want to be with you," he finally admitted.

"Because we slept together?" Tifa asked softly.

"No," he said with a frown. It was now or never. "Because I care about you and I have for a long time," he said just as quietly.

Tifa didn't look convinced. "Why didn't you attempt for us to be together before that drunken night if you cared so much?" she asked, her voice taking on a bitter note.

Cloud didn't know what she was getting at. He truly wanted to be with her, but he had never been too good at using his words to express himself. Didn't she know that by now? "Tifa, I—"

She shook her head. "Don't Cloud. I don't want you to rush into anything," she said, smiling slightly. "Think about what _you _want and then make a decision. I'll be here," Tifa said, looking at him with her sparkling, wine colored eyes.

He was still frowning at her, watching her in confusion as she pulled one of his blankets around her nude body and stood. Tifa sighed and then leaned forward and brushed her lips against his in a chaste kiss. Then she gathered her clothing and walked out, leaving him there mulling things over and wondering why it was that Tifa had shot him down.

It didn't feel entirely like a rejection, because she was basically telling him that she wanted him to be sure about being with her, but… he realized that he had been waiting for her to just accept him automatically. That had been quite foolish on his part, he knew, but he still happened to be quite clueless when it came to relationships. Muttering about being an idiot, he stood and walked off to take a shower. He just hoped that what had happened between them once more hadn't pushed Tifa away from him. It was the last thing he wanted.

……

"You said no?" Yuffie asked in horror.

Tifa frowned and nodded, playing idly with the straw in her milkshake. She and Yuffie had gone away from the bar to a restaurant for lunch in order to be able to talk without any eavesdroppers. "Well, I couldn't say yes! We'd just… been together," she said, blushing. "What if he's just asking me to be with him because he thinks it's what I expect after what happened? That is not how I want to start things with Cloud!"

Yuffie sipped her thick milkshake and sighed. "I don't think he asked you to be with him because you guys slept together," she murmured. "Cloud has a hard time expressing himself, so maybe he didn't say things the way he wanted to," she defended.

Tifa knew Yuffie was probably right, but she hadn't wanted Cloud to be with her out of obligation. "I just… gave him the chance to decide what it is that he wants. Not what he thinks I expect from him," she said with a sigh.

The ninja understood that. "But what are you going to do in the mean time? Continue to have a solely physical thing going on? Won't that confuse the kids when they return?"

Tifa shook her head. "I don't even know where we stand anymore." She put her face in her hands and groaned. "This is so confusing!"

"No, confusing is not knowing what it means that Vincent kissed me yesterday," Yuffie muttered.

"What?" Tifa asked, looking up at her in surprise. The ninja shrugged. "_How_ did that happen?"

"I don't know. Why are the men around us so complicated?" Yuffie asked, shaking her head. "I mean, he goes all, 'I didn't know that you and Reno were friends.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, what's the big deal?' Next thing I know, he's kissing me! We've been playing this silent flirting game, little touches here, a couple of glances there. I thought he wasn't serious and then he's kissing me!" Yuffie said, throwing her hands up in annoyance.

Tifa smiled. "So he made the first move and kissed you," she said with a grin.

Yuffie blushed and nodded. "And I'm confused too. With Vincent, we don't really talk about anything. I know he can carry on conversations, I've seen him talking to Reeve and to Tseng. He just doesn't talk to _me_!" she said with a huff.

"Maybe he doesn't know what to say to you either," Tifa offered.

Yuffie smirked. "We had to pick the two men with the worst communication skills," she said with a laugh.

Tifa joined her and nodded. "You know, I hadn't even considered the fact that Cloud felt anything for me. I always thought it was one-sided on my part. That's why I eventually convinced myself that it was best to get over him."

"But you didn't, right?" asked Yuffie curiously.

"I think a part of me didn't, but another part resigned itself to the fact that it wouldn't happen," Tifa said, nibbling a fry.

Yuffie sighed and they lapsed into silence for a few minutes, each thinking of the enigmas that were Cloud Strife and Vincent Valentine. "Maybe we should just _get over them,"_ Yuffie said with an annoyed sigh.

"Do you honestly think that it's possible?" Tifa asked with a little grin.

Yuffie slumped against the table and laid her head against her crossed arms. "You're right. We're never going to get over those blockheads," she said, ignoring Tifa's giggles.

"Maybe we're not meant to get over them. Maybe… we're the only two people who have ever truly believed in them. We have to hang on."

The ninja looked up at her and gave her a sunny smile. "I like the way you think, Miss Lockhart," said Yuffie.

Tifa smiled and nodded. "The question is, how long will we have to wait?"

Yuffie slumped a little again. "Maybe we should help things along," she said evilly.

"How?" asked Tifa, noticing the devious grin on the young woman's face.

"Just leave it up to me, Teef. Oh, and clear your Saturday night because the plan will take effect then."

Tifa sipped from her shake and wondered what Yuffie was up to. Hopefully her plan wouldn't backfire on them.

…

…

…

…

_Goodness, I can't seem to write a proper oneshot these days. It always turns into a short story or a two-part, but I've had this one on my mind for a while. I really wanted to write a CloudTifa fic so here it is. It's more on the angst-fluffy side, so don't worry too much about this chapter. I hope everyone enjoyed and that I haven't lost my touch when it comes to Cloud and Tifa as a couple. Up next, Cloud and Vincent talk and the Turks and Rufus make trouble, and Yuffie has a plan. Have an awesome and safe spring break and I'll try to have the ending for this fic as soon as possible._

Joey


	2. Chapter 2

……………………………………

**Believe**

……………………………………

Where was Vincent when he needed him? Cloud knew that between himself and the brooding gunman, they wouldn't even be able to fill out one page in a book when it came to conversations, but Cloud was confused and Vincent would be the only one who wouldn't judge. If he turned to Barret, the other man would attempt to strangle him for touching Tifa out of wedlock; the other man seemed to still live in a different era.

Then there was Cid. The pilot would listen, but then every other word that came out of his mouth would be profanity, and Cloud wasn't in the mood to be cussed at. There was Reeve, but the commissioner was too busy running the WRO and attempting to keep his relationship with Elena a secret from the Turks. He knew that if any of the men surrounding the female Turk ever found out about his busy hands, Reeve would find himself in a very painful situation. Reno and Rude were completely out of the question, that had been settled already, and Red really couldn't give advice where concerning human females. That only left Vincent, who was going through his own little drama with the ninja.

"You were looking for me?" asked Vincent as he suddenly appeared on the steps of Seventh Heaven.

Cloud nodded and moved aside to let him enter the empty bar. It was still early in the afternoon, and Tifa had gone out to lunch with Yuffie. They sat at the bar next to each other for a long moment, neither of them saying a word. Finally, Vincent sighed and took the initiative. "What did you wish to speak of?"

Cloud let out a long sigh and briefly explained his situation with Tifa in as little detail as possible. Then he sat back and waited to hear what the other man had to say. Vincent cleared his throat. "I can't instruct you in what you must do," said the gunman quietly.

"But… you can tell me what _you_ would do?"

Vincent was silent.

"I saw you kissing Yuffie on the stairs the other day," said Cloud, watching Vincent's shoulders tense. "I'm not judging," he said quickly. "But… I would like to hear… what you would do."

Vincent looked at him out of the corner of his eye. "If she doesn't believe that I… feel something for her by my words alone? Then I'd prove it to her some other way. It is said that actions speak louder than words."

Cloud frowned in exasperation. "But… I just… I can't think of anything I can do to make her see that I'm serious."

"It must be something meaningful, something to convey your feelings and something that _she_ will like. You have lived with her for years now, you must know _something _that she enjoys," Vincent said.

Cloud let out a heavy sigh and knew that he would have to think long and hard about it. Many of the years that he had lived with Tifa had felt like two strangers sharing a home, and it had all been his fault. Things had changed a little since his return after the Geostigma ordeal, but he didn't know if he still knew the woman Tifa had grown into. "I'm sure I'll think of something," Cloud muttered, sounding completely unconvinced.

Vincent just smirked and nodded. "If I can figure out that Yuffie would appreciate a bouquet of white and yellow roses to materia, I'm sure you will find something to show Tifa that you're serious."

Cloud was surprised at the information the other man was volunteering, but the gunman got his point across. If Vincent, a man who had missed roughly thirty years of his life, could get to a point where he could feel something special for a young woman again, why wouldn't Cloud be able to find a way to get through to Tifa, a woman he had lived with for years? Letting out a sigh, Cloud nodded to himself, thoughts already turning in his head on what he could get for Tifa and when it would be the right moment to present her with it.

Finally, the blond sighed. "I think I know what to get her," said Cloud.

"A ring?" asked Vincent curiously.

Cloud didn't think he was ready for a ring. "Not just yet," he muttered.

Vincent smirked. It would eventually happen, he knew, but he decided to keep it to himself. "Good luck to you, then."

"Thanks," muttered Cloud, realizing that he would need a lot of luck if he wanted to get through to Tifa.

………

Despite the fact that she was trying to act like nothing had happened, Tifa felt that every time Cloud looked at her with that sort of dazed and dreamy look, he was remembering the two nights they had spent together. It would bring a blush to both of their faces and she would look away and try not to look at him for the rest of the night. Yuffie usually teased her when she caught them, but she had to be mindful of Barret and the children, since they had returned only two nights ago. The last thing she needed was to have to explain to them that she and Cloud crossed the line from friends to lovers. How would she explain something that she barely understood herself? Besides, she wouldn't be able to look Barret in the face, and the children were too young to know about that sort of thing anyway.

"Tifa?"

Tifa blinked and looked at the girl in front of her. "Yes, Marlene?" she asked with a smile.

"What's wrong with Cloud?" Marlene asked in a whisper.

Tifa frowned. "Why do you ask?" she questioned, leaning in towards the girl.

"Well… he watches you with this funny look on his face. It's not the same look he had before we left. It's kinda different now," Marlene said smartly.

"I… honey, I don't know. Why don't you finish up with your homework and then go take a bath, okay?"

It seemed like Marlene didn't like having her questioning snuffed, but Tifa didn't think she'd be able to explain anything to Marlene without resembling a tomato. Even with her suspicious look, Marlene did as she was instructed and moved off to finish her homework. With a sigh, Tifa turned back to stir the warming stew on the stove but not before her eyes met Cloud's and held for a moment.

He stood and began to walk towards her, and Tifa felt her heart hammering in her chest at the sight of him. No matter what she did, she couldn't rid herself of the image of him poised above her, his eyes like the clear blue of the sky, his hair a golden halo in her own eyes. Without thinking, her hand touched the stove near the cooking pot and she hissed in pain when it singed her hand.

Cloud was at her side in seconds, taking her hand and drawing a cold beer from the fridge so that she could hold it in her burned hand. "You should watch what you're doing," he said lightly.

_You're the one who distracted me, _Tifa thought inwardly, but she merely nodded and answered the worried queries of the customers that had been near enough to notice her accident. Cloud raced up the stairs and returned shortly, a tube of balm especially made for burns. He cleaned her hand as gently as possible and then applied the ointment in gentle sweeps, missing the look in Tifa's eyes as she watched his face, so concentrated on his task of tending to her. She smiled lightly to herself, but the look smoothed out when he finished and looked up at her again. "Better?" he asked.

Tifa nodded and gave him a grateful look, though the spot was still pulsing in pain. "I don't know where my head is today," she said with a small smile.

"I know where it is," said Yuffie as she pranced up to them.

Tifa gave her a look. "No you don't, Yuffie. Let's not talk about it," she said pointedly.

Cloud looked at Yuffie and the young woman shrugged. "Hey Cloud, you think you can watch the bar on Saturday night?" the ninja asked.

"Why?" he asked flatly.

"Uh… Tifa and I have plans," she said dubiously.

When Cloud turned his blue eyes to Tifa, she looked away guiltily. "Where are you going?" he questioned slowly.

Yuffie smirked. "We're going on a double-date, so we need to have the night off. Besides, if Teef doesn't go, I don't go. You know, we need to take care of each other in case the guys are total nut jobs," she said, rambling off and beginning to talk about all the sorts of creeps she had gone out with in the past year.

Cloud tuned her out though, and turned to the other brunette, who was biting her lip and not meeting his gaze. "Tifa," he said lightly.

Tifa's eyes snapped to his and she smiled. "I just… need a break," she said, looking uncomfortable and with a forced smile.

She had to know how it would make him feel if she went out on a date with another man. Hadn't she told him that she would wait for him to make a true decision? What the hell was she doing now? "I'll take care of the bar," he muttered before walking away.

Tifa turned to Yuffie and shook her head. "This is a bad idea," she said.

Yuffie shook her head. "It's not. Trust me."

"Why do I always get this funny feeling in my gut when you ask me to trust you?" Tifa murmured.

The ninja just stuck her tongue out at her and bounced off to take orders.

…

"This is so not a good idea," Tifa murmured to herself as Yuffie—what _had_ she been thinking—did her make-up.

"Suck it up, Teef. You can do this and if things go the way I have anticipated, tonight we'll have company," Yuffie said, taking a brush and using it to apply some lip-gloss on Tifa's lips. "Done," she said proudly.

Tifa almost winced as she turned to the mirror to look at herself, to see what disaster Yuffie had caused on her face. The bartender had never been vain enough to worry so much about her looks, but in this case she did hope that Yuffie hadn't left her looking like one of the women at the Honeybee Inn… Tifa gasped in surprise when she saw that all that Yuffie had done had been to accentuate the curve of her cheeks and her eyes in a subtle way, followed by the lip-gloss which had made her lips look a little puckered. Wow.

"So?" asked Yuffie anxiously.

"Wow," Tifa voiced. "I didn't know you were so make-up savvy," she said honestly.

"I leaned because of my father and his insistent pursuit for me to look like a lady," Yuffie said with an _unladylike _snort. "We're ready to go?"

"I guess so," murmured Tifa, looking down at herself. She couldn't remember the last time she had worn jeans so formfitting, but at least her top wasn't just as tight and it didn't accentuate her obvious features. All it did was fall off her shoulders and pool a little over the belt on her waist.

Yuffie herself had opted for a ridiculously short skirt, but Tifa had asked and the ninja had said that she was wearing tiny shorts underneath, just in case she needed to kick ass. The last thing she needed was for her underwear to appear on some cheesy tabloid. They both walked down towards the bar, and Tifa was happy that the children had already gone to bed, otherwise it would make things harder to explain.

Cloud was standing behind the bar, leaning against it idly while the patrons socialized. It wasn't as packed as it usually was, so Cloud would have no problem handling business. When she stepped down from the last step, his eyes immediately snapped to them and he blinked a few times but there was no other reaction from him.

Tifa refrained from sighing out loud and just offered a muted smile. "I'll be home later."

"I may not know a lot about dating, but isn't it customary for a guy to pick up a girl?" Cloud asked dryly, his eyes as cool as ice.

Yuffie and Tifa shared a look, but the ninja just smiled. "We're meeting them at a new club downtown. Don't you worry, Tifa and me will be just fine," said Yuffie before dragging Tifa off.

One of the patrons at the bar was giving him a look and Cloud frowned. "What?" he asked, trying not to sound too rude.

"She's going on a date, looking like that? What are you waiting for my man? I say you crash that date," he said.

Cloud just shook his head. He didn't need other men telling him what to do, but unfortunately the patron had given him ideas. Cloud took out his phone and dialed someone he knew would be terribly interested to know where the ninja was and what she was doing.

…

The blaring music was a welcome change from the usual noise found in her bar, Tifa mused. The bouncers had let her and Yuffie in rather quickly, but Tifa supposed that it had something to do with how short Yuffie's skirt was. Inside of the club, it was a bit crowded and it made Tifa uncomfortable to shove against other people as they danced. Making their way towards the bar, Yuffie grinned and nearly jumped in place excitedly, full of energy.

"Do you honestly think that Cloud will do something about this?" Tifa asked above the blaring music.

"Just you wait! I can assure you that he'll be here because he won't be able to help himself!" Yuffie nearly hollered back. "Hopefully he'll bring Vincent with him!"

Tifa smiled and ordered two mixed drinks colored a very vibrant green. "Might as well have fun while we're here," she muttered to herself. Though she would stick to Yuffie like glue if she had to.

"Let's go dance for a bit," Yuffie said loudly. "And I give you permission to say that you're my girlfriend if you can't get rid of the creeps found around here!" she said with a grin, pulling Tifa towards the dance floor.

Tifa giggled to herself and moved onto the dance floor awkwardly. If there was one thing she didn't have much experience in, it was dancing. When she had been a little girl her mother had taken her to get ballet lessons, but later on in her life there had been no room for partying—much less dancing. She watched with wide eyes as Yuffie moved to the beat. Who could've known that the ninja knew how to move? "Come on, Teef! Try it!" Yuffie said cheerfully.

Tifa let out a sigh and hoped that she didn't end up looking life a fool. Why had she accepted to follow Yuffie's plan again?

…

"I still believe that you are overreacting."

Cloud's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I wonder if you'll be thinking the same thing when you see another man's hands on Yuffie's body. Running down her back, over her hips and her waist, towards her—"

"How do you expect us to get in?" Vincent cut in the rather tersely. "We're not exactly dressed appropriately for a place like this," he said, eyeing the club from across the street, hidden in an alley.

Cloud smirked to himself and knew that the image of Yuffie getting fondled by another man did not sit well with the gunman. The image didn't set will with Cloud either because despite the ninja being annoying and over talkative, she was the closest thing to a sibling he'd ever had. Well… after Tifa… but he no longer saw Tifa as a sister… she was _very_ far away from being his sister. Cloud shook his head, he was getting sidetracked. His sharp eyes surveyed the building and he grunted in satisfaction when he found the perfect place to use as an entrance.

"Up there," Cloud pointed.

Vincent gave the roof a calculating look and nodded. "How do you suppose we get up there?"

Cloud shrugged. "You can do high jumps, can't you?" he asked as if the answer were the most obvious in the world. "We'll jump from the roof of the building next to it." With that, the blond began to walk away, leaving Vincent to debate whether to keep following him in his half-baked plan or just spend the rest of his evening wondering what Yuffie was doing and with who. With a 'swoosh' of his cape, Vincent set off after Cloud.

After a minor set back concerning the door and having to slice right through the lock instead of picking it—the way Vincent had _suggested_—they made their way towards the main club where the music was at a volume that left their sensitive ears ringing. Vincent could feel a growl of irritation from Galian, who had an even more sensitive ear than himself.

They stood around in a dark corner, sweeping the room for any sign of the women. Cloud's eyes narrowed when he finally spotted Tifa. He watched her for a few seconds, noticing how her hips moved slowly, her hands sliding above her head as she danced to the beat. His eyes were riveted to her form, and he felt himself go a little dazed… that was until he saw a man's hand circle her waist and turn her around.

"You've found them," said Vincent.

He really hadn't been looking for Yuffie, but the ninja wasn't so far away from Tifa either way. Besides, seeing the other woman pressed to another man was not something he had been looking forward to seeing. "Yeah," he muttered, throat dry.

Vincent stepped over to his side and he felt his eyes widen slightly. It was a little shocking to see Tifa… moving… like that, but he knew that if Yuffie was nearby, she'd be ten times worse than the barmaid. And he wasn't mistaken. Yuffie was in her own world, moving to the beat, but the man at her back was smoothing his hands up her hips and waist. Vincent didn't know what to make of the threatening growl coming from Galian Beast. Could it be that he felt… protective of Yuffie? Or did he recognize Yuffie as… _his_?

"Should we…" Cloud started, motioning towards the women.

"Not yet," said Vincent, voice cold and calculating. After a moment of trying to reign in the feeling of bloodlust that wanted to take him over, he saw what he had been waiting for. The men stepped away from Yuffie and Tifa, and began to walk towards the bar, presumably to get something for them to drink.

Cloud caught onto the plan rather quickly, and without a word, they approached the men, intercepting them on their way back to Tifa and Yuffie. The blond watched in amusement and wonder as Vincent stopped in front of the first man. It was his cue to say something, since it was obvious that Vincent would rather look intimidating. "Leave," Cloud said simply, his voice carrying over the music.

"What? Who the hell are you two? Security?"

"No," Cloud said. "We're with the women you're groping," he replied with a barely restrained growl, his eyes glowing eerily in the dark, the flashing lights only adding to his threatening glare.

Vincent could hear the men swallow hard, even with the blaring music. He could also feel Galian pacing, waiting for an opportunity to taste the blood of the one who had dared touch Yuffie. _Relax, _Vincent willed himself silently. "Unless you would like to be on the receiving end of a triple-barreled gun, I suggest you run," Vincent finally said, voice impossibly threatening, and dark.

The men looked like they didn't believe them, but Vincent moved his cloak aside and the lights glinted off of Cerberus, resting in its holster and looking like the most menacing of guns. "Run," Vincent repeated.

The two men dropped their drinks and ran.

Cloud turned to Vincent and raised both eyebrows in question. Vincent shrugged one shoulder before they both turned to the women. It seemed that the two cowards that had ran off weren't the only ones interested, since there were others already closing in on them. "I'm taking Tifa home. Should I trust that you and Yuffie won't end up in a bar brawl?"

Vincent just grunted. "I'll make sure Yuffie gets home safe."

Cloud left Vincent on his own before he stepped between the throngs of people rubbing against each other. He tried not to grimace and many times had to fend off groping hands and women trying to get him to dance. As he closed in on Tifa, he couldn't help the way his eyes roamed as her hips moved slowly to the music, talking animatedly to Yuffie, who was the one _teaching _her how to move. Cloud would have to have a word with Yuffie about teaching Tifa inappropriate ways to… _sway._

He couldn't deny that there was something undeniably alluring about watching Tifa dip and shake that way, but he just didn't like the fact that other men were there to see it. Tifa was supposed to be _his_. They were supposed to be together. Instead she was avoiding him and going out with other men. What was he supposed to do to make her see that he was being honest? Did she need a proposal? No. He'd already established that with Vincent. He didn't think neither he nor Tifa were ready to go down that road.

Cloud snuck up behind Tifa and reached his hands out to smooth up her hips, feeling her tense and her fists close around his wrists. He closed in against her, pressing his chest to her back. "Where's your date?"

Tifa started in surprise as his voice and lips against her ear. Her eyes noticed then that Yuffie was gone and she moved forward in worry, but Cloud's hand was sliding around her waist, holding her in place. "Yuffie," she argued weakly.

"She's safe," Cloud replied, keeping his arm around her, rubbing his hands across her flat stomach as they moved slowly to the fast tempo. He finally felt her relax in his arms and turned her around to face him. "Where's your date?" he repeated, eyes burning into hers.

Tifa reached up to grip his shoulders lightly and felt herself flounder around for a reply that wouldn't sound petty and immature. "I… guess he had to go," she said after a moment.

"That's too bad," Cloud replied, though the look in his azure eyes showed that he obviously didn't mean it.

"Cloud… what are you doing here? Isn't the noise bothering you?" Tifa asked him evenly.

His only response was to draw her closer, pressing her almost entirely to his front. "I came here to bring you home. I know… that you prefer the peacefulness of a book and some hot chocolate to this environment. Come home Tifa," he said, beckoning to her.

Staring into his eyes had always been one of her most favorite things to do, especially since it didn't happen often. During the Geostigma incident, he had taken to avoiding her gaze and staring at anything but her. Cloud had the clearest, most impressive blue eyes she had ever seen. She could remember from their younger years that even as a small boy he'd had the nicest eyes she had ever encountered. The Mako glow only added to them. Said eyes were now holding her own, holding her frozen in that moment so that everything around them seemed to melt away.

Tifa chewed on her lower lip and let her eyes drift closed when she felt the first sweep of his soft lips to her own trembling ones. The noise, the people, the music had blurred into static and all she could feel in that moment was the feel of Cloud's kiss, his hands on her waist, the scent of him surrounding her like something out of a dream. "Come home, Tifa," he whispered again.

His voice had lulled her into a sense of peace, that all Tifa could do was nod dumbly. She blinked in time to see the small smile on his face before he kissed her cheek and began to pull her towards the exit. "But… but what about Yuffie?" Tifa managed to ask once more.

"Vincent is here," Cloud said, leaving it at that.

Tifa's eyes widened and she wondered what the gunman would say to Yuffie and how Cloud had even gotten him to _tag along_. From wide, her eyes went to narrow in a few seconds. This all seemed very suspicious now that she thought about it—and now that Cloud wasn't kissing her, she mentally chided herself—she wondered if Cloud had followed her there. She'd pick his motives apart when they got home. She just really hoped that Vincent and Yuffie resolved something that evening as well.

…………

He had backed her into a corner before she had been able to tease him once. She had been dancing to the music with Tifa, trying to devise a way to get away from the guys that hadn't taken 'no' for an answer and had gone to get drinks, when Vincent had nearly blindsided her and Tifa had practically evaporated.

Yuffie had turned just in time to see the people around her clear a wide circle and then Vincent had practically _swooped _in on her—for a moment she'd thought she'd seen Chaos, but she attributed it to the drink she and Tifa had gotten from the bar—and he had proceeded to close in on her until she had been pressed against a wall. His eyes had then traveled her body in a way that had made her shiver and Yuffie had been smug to see the look of displeasure on his face when he had seen just how short her skirt truly was. The shimmering, puffy material could've rivaled her shorts in the amount of leg it showed off.

"You here to dance, handsome?" she asked him, positive that with his hearing he'd be able to catch her words quite clearly.

Vincent gave her an expressionless face, even in the dark, with only flashing lights. Without gracing her with a response, he kissed her, his hands closing on either side of her head, allowing for very little movement on her part, but without actually touching her. "What game are you playing, Yuffie?" he asked her in his deep, shiver-inducing voice.

"I'm not playing any games. You're the one mauling me every chance you get. What's the deal?" Yuffie asked him, eyes narrowed.

"Maybe it would be wise for us to speak over coffee," he said, giving their surroundings a look of distaste. The smell of bodies and alcohol were making his nose itch, and Galian seemed to be more agitated than usual.

"_You _want to _talk?_" Yuffie asked him skeptically.

Vincent inclined his head once. "I think that we are at a point where it is something necessary that we must do."

Yuffie rolled her eyes. "A simple 'yes' will work too," she said, walking with him towards the door, his hand in hers. On their way, a man made the mistake of groping for her ass as she passed him.

Before Vincent could even react—and draw Cerberus for added effect—Yuffie's palm had shoved up painfully into the man's nose, effectively hurting him and knocking him back. The people formed a circle around him and tried to see who had assaulted him. Without giving them a second glance, she walked out with Vincent. "Don't look so shocked," Yuffie said with a smirk. "I can take care of myself. Now… while we walk, explain to me exactly how you got here and how did you know I was out with Tifa?"

"I thought you and Tifa were on dates with other men," Vincent countered.

Yuffie scoffed. She knew who had told him. "Cloud, huh? He came for Tifa and roped you into it too?" she asked, giggling. "Or did you come because you were jealous that I was out with another guy?"

Vincent said nothing, and Yuffie turned to give him a questioning look. "We have to discuss the kissing sometime, but I'm not Tifa. I'm not patient, Vince, and you of all people know that," she said in a quiet voice.

"Would you be opposed then, if instead of having a coffee, we had dinner?" Vincent asked her in his serious tone.

That stopped Yuffie in her tracks and her mouth literally dropped open in disbelief. "What." It wasn't even posed as a question. It was just too unbelievable for Yuffie. Vincent Valentine was really asking her to dinner?

"Yuffie."

Yuffie realized that she had been standing in the middle of the sidewalk, not moving forward and openly gaping at him. "You mean… like a date?"

Vincent gave her a peaceful look and nodded once. "If you wish to call it that. Will you join me, or would you rather go home?"

Instead of giving him an exuberant reply, she bounded up to him and planted a kiss on his lips. She was quite satisfied to see his eyelids lower a little at the small touch. Then she turned and began to walk away. He wanted to blindside her with kisses? Well, he'd learn that Yuffie Kisaragi was a worthy adversary. Two could play at his little game of seduction.

………

He hadn't really said anything to her after their episode at the club. Tifa didn't know what to make of the fact that Cloud had withdrawn a little from her now that it was only them, in the quiet of the night. He opened bar door for her and let her in first, like a perfect gentleman, and then shut and locked it behind them.

Tifa took a look around the bar and realized that it had been left squeaky clean. "Who…?"

"Barret," Cloud replied. "He's watching over the kids."

"Damn righ' I was watching over the kids. What's this about you goin' out on a date with some stranger?" Barret's loud voice reached her ears in a more tapered tone.

Tifa just gave him a look as she approached the bar counter when she noticed a fancy envelope sitting there. "I'm a big girl, Barret," Tifa reminded him in a light tone.

"I know that, but I'll always see you the way I see Marlene," said Barret gruffly, aware that Cloud was there listening to his "fatherly" moment. "Even Cloud was worried. He ran off after you to bring you back home, Teef."

Tifa turned to look at Cloud as he flushed in embarrassment. "Now that you mention it," she started, noticing Cloud flinch when he saw her place her hands on her hips. "_Why_ did you go to the club? Were you spying on me?" she asked him in a low voice.

Barret realized that there was obviously something going on between the two that maybe no one else knew about. Kind of like a _lovers quarrel, _he thought, trying to mask his smile. It was about damned time. "I'm gonna call it a night, kids. Play nice," Barret said as he walked towards the back door.

Tifa tore her gaze from Cloud and walked after Barret, the envelope still clutched in her hand. "Won't you be staying the night? We can extend the sofa bed and I'm sure Marlene will be happy to see you again in the morning."

"Don't worry about me, sweetheart. I'm gonna stay at a friend's house. Tell my lil' girl that I'll be by tomorrow to take her and Denzel to school, won't ya?"

Tifa nodded and smiled, walking up to press a kiss to Barret's cheek. "Thank you, Barret, and don't be late tomorrow morning," she said as he walked out the back door. She made sure to lock it and check the windows the same way she did every night, before walking back towards the bar.

Cloud had taken the opportunity to run off, but she wouldn't let him off the hook so easily. It was exactly what Yuffie had predicted, but she wanted to hear it from Cloud. As she quietly walked up the stairs towards his bedroom, after checking on the children to make sure they were sound asleep, Tifa felt her breath leave her abruptly at the sight of Cloud shirtless and with his pants undone. Really, was he trying to seduce her? All he really had to do was _look_at her… Tifa snapped out of her daydream and stepped into his room, shutting the door after her.

"What have you been doing these last few days?" Cloud asked her abruptly.

"In what sense?" Tifa asked him, confused. She toed off her heels and watched him expectantly.

"In the 'us' sense. You've been… avoiding me. And now you go out with some guy, knowing how it was going to make me feel after I told you that I wanted to be with you and you didn't believe me," Cloud muttered.

"I was just giving you space to think," she said evasively.

"There's nothing for me to think about Tifa. You either want to be with me too, or you don't," Cloud said, shaking his head and turning his back to her so that he could change into a pair of pajamas. He had only his pants on when he felt Tifa approach him from behind.

"It's hard," she admitted, placing the letter with her and Cloud's name in fancy writing on the front down on his bed; she didn't have time to wonder about it right now. "Trying not to think about the next time when you'll leave. Your job aside, I'm used to you walking out, Cloud. Can you understand why it's so hard for me to just open up myself to this? I still have doubts."

Cloud turned and reached up to cup her face in one hand, staring straight into her eyes. If there was one special thing he had loved about Tifa, it was her eyes. In them, he could see all of her feelings reflecting back to him. He could see her doubt, her concern, her warmth, and underneath it all, her hope. It was something that Tifa had never been able to let go of, despite his shortcomings. He felt his lips curve into a smile. "You're the only person who has ever truly believed in me. You were there when I had aspirations of being a SOLDIER.

"You were there when I was lost, when I didn't know who I truly was. You helped me find myself when I thought it was someone else. You were even there when I walked out on you and the children so many times. You welcomed me with open arms once the Geostigma was gone. All I'm asking is for you to believe in me one last time," he said quietly.

After a tense moment of him waiting for her reaction, Tifa finally sighed and looked away from him. Cloud was right. She had always been a very hopeful person—a gift from her mother—and it really was about time that she took control of her love life. Cloud was offering himself on a silver platter, and who was she to deny him? Her heart was thudding away in her chest because Cloud was finally, finally allowing her to see his heart and his feelings. "What do I get in exchange?" Tifa asked him playfully, her eyes glittering like ruby jewels, watching as his features relaxed.

"You get a boyfriend who will want to make you happy for the rest of his days," Cloud replied, backing her towards his bed, a mischievous look in his eyes.

Tifa found that she couldn't contain the smile on her face and the light feeling in her heart. Was she really going to be in a relationship with Cloud? Was it going to work? Would they spend the rest of their days together? Those were too many questions to answer in one night and so shortly after pulling down her defenses to let Cloud in.

The feel of his lips sliding over hers, teeth and tongue quickly turning her into a quivering puddle were the only reason why she forgot all about the envelope with the Shinra seal sitting on the edge of the bed. She'd worry about it when she didn't have such a pleasurable distraction like Cloud Strife in nothing but his silky blue pajama bottoms.

…

…

…

…

…

…

How was that? Light on the drama and angst and a little more humorous, no? I stopped trying to predict how long my stories are going to be, even when I outline them because they always seem to take on lives of their own and the chapters turn out way too long! Still, I don't think this one will be too long, possibly one more chapter, but like I said, I can't predict accurately anymore. Thank you so much for reading this baby, since I will always hold a soft spot for CloudTifa.

And also a big thanks to everyone who reviewed the first chapter. It made me really happy to see that it got such a positive response. Please continue to be awesome and let me know what you thought? I'm going to try my very best to update as soon as I can, but be patient with me. We're closing in on exams at school, so it'll be only a bit harder to get more than one update a week, and I have a ZackTifa that I'm writing at this moment too. Up next though, Vincent and Cloud find that they still have some competition, and Reno causes mischief. I hope everyone has a very nice week and thanks for reading!

Joey


	3. Chapter 3

I noticed a discrepancy about how I wrote Tifa's scar. I was rereading chapter one and realized that in _Last Order_, Sephiroth slashed Tifa across the chest, and that it never went through. I'll leave it that way and I hope no one minds, since it would disrupt the flow of that scene if I went back and removed it. Sorry for touching into this now, but I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Also, I think I went totally OOC on Rufus. Read on…

……………………………………

**Believe**

……………………………………

Tifa suspected that it would be a while before she got used to seeing Cloud looking so… comfortable _in his skin_. She was sitting up against the headboard of his bed, watching him as he dressed for the day, freshly showered. Beads of water were still trailing over his pectoral muscles, down a flat, defined stomach: skin that only a few hours ago her mouth had traversed over.

Cloud paused his morning ritual when he realized that he had Tifa as his audience. He smirked lightly as he pulled on a pair of boxers, pants, and finally a shirt over his head, effectively cutting off her ogling. "What are you going to do today?" he asked her casually.

"The usual. Clean, cook, pick up the kids at school, and then open the bar," she said with a little sigh. "What time will you be home?"

Cloud walked over to sit in front of her, brushing his finger lightly through her bangs, pushing them away from her eyes. "Are you… sure you want to attempt something with me?" he asked her quietly.

Tifa gave him a serene smile and smoothed her thumb across his lower lip. Instead of replying right away, she moved forward to gently brush her lips across his in a whisper of a kiss. "I think we established that last night."

A smirk worked its way across Cloud's face and he stared at her lips as she smiled. "I'll try to make it home before lunch tomorrow," he said, answering her previous question. "I have to take quite a few packages to Rocket Town and then I'm going to take Monday, and Tuesday off. Sound good?"

She nodded. "I'm sure Denzel and Marlene will love the fact that you're going to be here for two days straight."

"What about you?" Cloud asked slowly.

"Me?" she asked. Cloud nodded. "I'm sure we can find a few moments to spend alone," Tifa said, a light blush covering her cheeks.

Cloud's own cheeks had a dusting of pink as he leaned forward to kiss her chastely once more before standing. "Take care of yourself, Teef."

"I will. Be safe out there," Tifa countered.

Cloud inclined his head. "I will," he assured her with a small smile. He turned and grabbed his boots before walking out and shutting the door to his room. A few minutes later, the roar of Fenrir's engine signaled his departure.

Tifa slid back down against the sheets and curled them around her, basking in Cloud's scent, mingling with hers. After lazing around for a few minutes—something she wasn't usually prone to do—she left the warm bed, the lingering scent of Cloud on her skin and walked off to take a shower before starting her day with making the children breakfast. Once she was done and was in the process of exiting Cloud's bathroom, the envelope that she had forgotten beckoned her from a forgotten place on the floor, nearly covered by the comforter of the bed.

She picked it up and took it with her to her room. Placing it onto her dresser, she looked at the envelope curiously as she dressed and then as she brushed her damp hair out. When she was finally done with her personal routine, she took it and turned it over after scanning the professional calligraphy in her and Cloud's names respectively. She frowned when she noticed the Shinra seal and rolled her eyes to herself. Rufus Shinra… ever the ostentatious spoiled brat. She took out the letter from inside and quickly realized that it was an invitation. Her eyebrows shot up when she read that it was to a private dinner with the rest of AVALANCHE and Reeve.

Well, this certainly was unexpected, Tifa mused. A dinner? She had to wonder if the rest of their friends had already received the invitation and if they would accept. She could already picture Cid and Barret's answers, not to mention Cloud's. Tifa had never been one to truly hold grudges and she had to admit that Rufus had done his fair share of evil, but he hadn't been evil to the extent of his father. Rufus Shinra hadn't created the company, neither had he funded SOLDIER or allowed a psycho like Hojo to conduct so many freakish experiments. Besides, he had been trying his best to fix what his father had destroyed. He'd gone about doing it the wrong way, but at least he had tried.

That was the case she would plead once Cloud returned home and she had a chance to tell him about the dinner party. Humming to herself, Tifa stood and began to make her way towards the kitchen to prepare breakfast, hoping that Barret didn't forget that he had promised to take the children to school that morning. She found after a moment that she couldn't erase the smile from her face. Her heart felt light, and a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Cloud was undeniably hers.

Letting out a happy little sigh, Tifa wondered when Yuffie would come around to tell her how her night had gone.

By the time night fell, her mind had all but forgotten about the invitation and she was watching as Yuffie paced around the bar. She looked incredibly cute in an actual dress. It was still only a few centimeters longer than her usual short shorts, but the silky material clung to her more womanly curves and over slim shoulders fell thin straps. Tifa noticed that the ninja was grimacing in anxiety.

"Here," Tifa said, sliding a small shot glass filled to the brim with dark liquor. "For the nerves," she explained at Yuffie's questioning look. "Make sure not to drink too much unless you want to make a fool of yourself tonight."

Yuffie downed the drink in one go and only scrunched her nose slightly. Her tolerance had risen thanks to Cid and his constant drinking games. "Thanks, but I don't generally need alcohol to make a fool out of myself," she said wryly.

Tifa smiled and patted her hand. "Everything will be great tonight. Stop worrying."

"Hey, did you get the invitation too?" Yuffie asked, momentarily taking her mind off of her impending date. "The one for dinner with Shinra and the Turkeys?"

Tifa nodded. "We got it yesterday, but we… um… I didn't get a chance to see it until today in the morning," she said, hating herself for the hot blush on her cheeks.

Of course Yuffie would notice it. "Too busy doing other things, huh?" she asked with a lewd waggling of eyebrows. If anything, the blush got even hotter on Tifa's cheeks. "Oh, Teef, don't go all embarrassed on me. I expect full details on how it is to make love to the man you're in love with."

"Will you promise me the same once it happens between you and Vincent?" Tifa asked her in challenge.

"Of course. But we're actually assuming that Vincent would want to do more than kiss me," said Yuffie.

"Well, one look at you in that dress and I'm sure he'll have more than proper thoughts in his head about you," Tifa said with a wink, delighting in Yuffie's blush now.

"Teef… he's barely even kissed me. I don't think Vincent thinks about me like that. He's like one of the last gentlemen left in this century."

Tifa debated with herself on whether or not she needed to point out the fact that Cloud was a gentleman too, but she bit her lip. Cloud was still a little stuck in adolescence; he just needed a little prompting when it came to being a gentleman. The closest thing he'd come to doing to put him on Yuffie's list was bring her flowers—and then it had been flowers from Aerith's church, or flowers he'd picked from a field. Come to think of it, he'd never _bought_ her flowers—and he also volunteered to watch the children so that she could have weekends of free time for herself, and sometimes he brought her cookies from a bakery store in Kalm… "Cloud is a gentleman too," she said, cutting off Yuffie's moody silence.

Yuffie smirked. "That conversation ended ages ago, Teef. You were all spaced out."

"That's because I was thinking about all the little things. Cloud may not be perfect, but he has his moments," Tifa said with a fond smile.

The ninja bit back a giggle and nodded. Tifa still had it bad and there was no way of her denying that she was still in love with a certain chocobo look-alike. She was so busy trying to think of the best way to tease her, that she didn't even hear the door open and the quiet footsteps come up behind her.

"Yuffie," said a deep voice, making her jump clear off the stool and almost making her fall on her face. The only thing that prevented her from kissing the floor was a warm, strong arm around her waist.

"You don't _ever_ sneak up on a ninja," Yuffie hissed as she allowed him to straighten her out. "I could've stabbed you in the eye with one of my ninja stars," she said darkly.

Vincent looked at her from head to toe and couldn't hold the smirk from sliding onto his face at her blush. "Where would you keep them?"

Instead of humiliating herself further, Yuffie matched his smirk. "Wouldn't you like to know," she said, raising an eyebrow at him. She had to stop and stare though, when she noticed what it was that he was wearing. He was still in his trademark colors, but he looked different. He was wearing a dark red dress shirt, black slacks, and black dress shoes. "Wow. You clean up nice, Vince," she whispered.

His smirk returned and he inclined his head once. "Shall we go?" he asked.

Yuffie nodded and waved at Tifa as she and Vincent walked out the door. They walked in silence for a few minutes, Yuffie following and trying to stop from looking like a teenager on her first date and with a man hotter and older than she was. "Where are we going?" she asked after a long moment.

"We're almost there," he said quietly. Then he made a small 'hmm,' as if he had remembered something. He produced a flower from a hidden pocket—Yuffie hadn't seen exactly _where _it had come from—and handed it over to her. It was a white rose.

Yuffie looked up at him with a smile as she brought the small bloom to her nose to sniff it. It had the most delicate and sweet scent she had ever taken in. "Thanks," she murmured, stopping him with a hand on his arm. When Vincent paused and looked at her head-on, Yuffie stood on the tips of her toes to press a gentle kiss on his lips. She smiled shyly at him and felt her heart skip a beat when he closed one of his hands over hers. Yuffie had a feeling that tonight would be perfect.

…

Unfortunately, Leviathan had other plans and he decided that he wanted the both of them to have an awkward and quiet date. Really, who would've known that she and Vincent didn't have anything in common?

They had been sitting in a small restaurant, eating steaks and drinking wine—Vincent giving her _alcohol?_—and avoiding any loud sounds for fear of getting recognized by admirers of AVALANCHE. Vincent looked much different, but she didn't, even with the dress she had on. Conversation had been wan and a little forced between them. For once in her life, Yuffie couldn't really think of anything to say to him, and she didn't want to pry into his past without making things worse. She wanted desperately to talk to him, but what could she say without getting him angry or making a complete fool of herself?

"You should try the wine. It is from a very good year," said Vincent, startling Yuffie from her thoughts. He had been watching her for a few moments, wondering what she had been thinking about with the fork raised slightly above her plate and with a piece of steak resting on it.

Yuffie stared at the bottle and then laughed uncomfortably. "It was made the year I was born. How about that, the bottle and I are the same age."

Vincent set down his glass of wine and stared at the bottle before looking at Yuffie. "I had forgotten how young you are."

The expression on her face looked as if she had swallowed something painful. "Don't do that."

"Do what?" Vincent asked with a frown. He didn't like seeing that look on her face, and it made something inside of him clench painfully.

"Don't go with the whole, 'I'm too old for her' thing," Yuffie pleaded. "I know we have roughly nothing in common, but all I know is that I feel good when you're around me and I wouldn't give that up for all the materia in the world. I want us to be able to talk, and I want you to look at me and—and…" she trailed off, realizing that he was staring at her.

"And?" he prodded gently.

Yuffie let out a sad little sigh. "I want you to need me."

Vincent pushed his plate aside and took her hand in his, brushing his lips against her knuckles. "I do need you," he assured her. "Why else do you think I have remained in Edge for so long?" Her smile could've lighted the entirety of the Gold Saucer; it was sweet, innocent, and something he had needed in his life for a long time.

Yuffie stared at their linked hands and felt her heart jumping around in her chest happily. The other hand rubbed at the delicate petals of the rose sitting on her lap. "Does that mean that we're together now?"

Vincent cleared his throat once and wondered how he was supposed to answer a question like that. No matter how much they ignored it, Yuffie was still far younger than he was. But there was something inside of him that felt that he could have a future with her. Lucrecia had granted him a chance to live a _normal _life. "If you are happy dealing with someone as old as myself, then yes."

Yuffie let out a small squeal and wrapped her arms around his neck, making the glasses and plates clink together loudly. She sat back with a sheepish look on her face when she realized that people were staring at them. "Maybe we should go?" she offered.

Vincent nodded and called for the check. If he could be the person to put the bounce back into her step, and the glint of happiness in her eyes, he would gladly do it. Though he supposed it would take him time to give Yuffie exactly what she would need from a man. And then he'd have to prove himself to Godo somehow. But he was jumping the gun. He wanted to hope that Yuffie would want him in her life for the long run, but she was young. She was bound to change her mind, right?

He ignored his surly thoughts for the moment and focused on the now. On how sweet she smelled, and how womanly she looked. How her smile could light up his life if he got to see it every day, and how she could find it in herself to touch him so easily.

Vincent was sure that Yuffie would be the only person he would care for and who would care for him with all her heart. The thought sat well with him, and if he were honest, it scared him a little. But a part of him told him that fear was a good thing. It meant that he was human after all. Vincent felt a smile lift his lips a fraction and his eyes darted down to see his hand entwined with Yuffie's. No, being afraid wasn't all that bad.

……

Tifa smiled to herself as Yuffie pranced around the kitchen dreamily, humming a cute little tune to herself. The ninja really hadn't volunteered any details on her date with Vincent, but Tifa had a feeling that everything had gone right. Though Yuffie would have begged her to spill the details had their roles been reversed, Tifa wasn't like Yuffie and she wanted to give the younger girl some privacy. Yuffie would tell her when she was ready to, or when she wasn't able to keep it to herself any longer.

Tifa was also amazed to find that though Yuffie was a disaster when it came to cooking, she was incredible when it came to baking, and at the moment she was making oatmeal cookies from scratch. "Needs a little more brown sugar," Yuffie muttered to herself.

"Here you go," Tifa said, handing over the container, an amused smile on her face. "So…"

Yuffie glanced at her and smiled. "Fine," she said after a pause and a grin. "It was nice. We just… didn't know what to talk about. It was all awkward until he walked me back here, and then he kissed me on the porch."

Tifa was confused. "You… didn't talk at all during your date?"

"I had assumed that it would've killed me to remain silent, but it didn't. Strangely enough, we were comfortable in the quiet silence. But you know, despite our date being nice, he still got out of talking to me," Yuffie said, a bit of annoyance coming through in her voice.

"Yuffie, he'll have to talk to you eventually, if he wants you to take him seriously. Which I'm sure he does," Tifa said in reassurance.

Yuffie pouted a little, but then her smile returned. "He gave me a rose before dinner and then kissed me after dinner. It was the sweetest kiss I've ever had," she admitted.

"Give it time," Tifa said kindly. "If there's anything you should be patient about, it's this. You'll eventually break through his barrier, don't worry about that. If Vincent didn't want you to pursue him, he wouldn't have asked you to dinner," she assured the younger woman.

Yuffie gave her a cheerful grin and pulled her into a hug. "Thanks Teef, you're like the big sister I always wanted. You always know the perfect things to say."

Tifa rubbed her back soothingly and nodded. "And you're the little sister I always wanted too."

"What's the occasion for sharing hugs?"

Both women pulled apart and Yuffie grinned cheekily at Cloud; neither of them had heard the rumble of Fenrir. "Didn't you hear? Tifa is leaving you for me," she said with a grin, noticing the twitch in Cloud's eyebrow.

Tifa let out an amused laugh and shook her head, walking over to press a kiss to Cloud's cheek. "We were having a girly moment," she said.

"I'm going to make myself scarce and I'll go wait for Marley and Denny at school. Then I'll take them to get some ice cream," she said walking off towards the door.

"Call me when you have them!" Tifa called.

"Will do!" Yuffie replied before she was out the door.

Tifa turned to Cloud and noted the tired look on his face. "Rough ride?" she asked him, reaching up to help him out of his sword holder and the wolf-head on his shoulder.

"Rode through the night and I only had a few hours of sleep," he admitted.

"Well, do you want to take a nap or eat something first? I can make you a sandwich and some juice," Tifa offered, brushing back his blond spikes from his eyes.

Cloud watched her curiously, smiling slightly at how easily she was touching him now. It made him feel warm and cared for—more than usual of course—and he was enjoying every minute of it. He encircled Tifa in his arms and held her, closing his eyes and breathing her in.

Tifa smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, reveling in the fact that he was in her arms now, no doubts, no regrets, no guilt, and no one else standing between them. "Cloud?" she asked him after a long moment of silence.

"A sandwich sounds great," he murmured, not releasing her. "I'll take a quick shower, eat, and then take a short nap so that I can be up before the bar opens," he said, finally drawing back.

Tifa smiled when he leaned forward and prompted a kiss from her, brushing the backs of his fingers over her cheek. She stared into the bright blue of his eyes and found that there was nothing missing in her life in that moment. "Go," she said, her heart skipping a beat at the realization that she truly did love him still. She smiled as she guided him towards the doorway that led to the stairs. "I'll bring the food up."

Cloud nodded and hesitated, holding her gaze. Then he gave her that same small smile and walked off towards his room.

Her shoulders were relaxed and her mood was in the _clouds_ as she prepared Cloud's lunch and added some chips and a few grapes in case he wanted something extra. Pouring him a glass of juice, she placed it all on a borrowed tray from the bar and walked up to Cloud's room as he was exiting the bathroom, only a towel wrapped around his hips. Tifa avoided staring and placed his food on the nightstand, turning to go and giving him some privacy, despite having seen all of him already.

"Tifa," Cloud started.

She turned to look at him and realized that he was holding the invitation she had forgotten to take with her the day before. Well, she hadn't expected to get right into it with him, but it had to be done. Before she could open her mouth and plead her case, Cloud spoke.

"No."

Well, it looked like she had her work cut out for her. "Cloud—"

"Tifa, I am _not_ going to walk willingly into Shinra's den," he said as he fished around for some boxers and a clean pair of pajama pants. He slipped them both on underneath the towel and Tifa only averted her eyes slightly.

She crossed her arms over her chest and planted her feet stubbornly. Cloud really wanted to try and beat her at being head-strong? Hmm, she wished him luck. "Cloud, this is a chance for us to get along with Shinra and his Turks. He's rebuilding his company and helping the planet with it. He did things in the past that for some are unforgivable, but didn't we do the same? Even in the name of justice and the planet? He's not his father. He's trying to fix things and be the bigger person here."

Cloud released something of a snort and began to munch on some of the grapes. "What if he's calling us all to his place to kill us all in one swoop? What if the food or the drinks are poisoned?" he asked her smartly.

_Geez, paranoid much? _Tifa rolled her eyes. "You think he'd want to kill Reeve and the children too?"

He refused to reply. He just didn't like the idea of being in _any_ enclosed space with Shinra and his lackeys. Besides, he despised the way Rude looked at Tifa when he thought Cloud wasn't around to see him. Maybe this _would _be a good idea. He'd be able to show the man that Tifa had someone who would look after her now. While he came up with various ideas of how to stake his claim without insulting Tifa, he hadn't noticed that she had closed the gap between them and that she was giving him a look from under lowered lashes.

"Cloud," she started in a low voice, one that sent a shiver down his spine. "I called Barret and Cid, and they're going. So is Yuffie, and by default, Vincent is more than likely to go, if only to keep an eye on her. Reeve will go for diplomatic reasons, and even Red will be there. The only person refusing to go is you. Now, if you like the idea of the children and me being alone with Rufus Shinra and his Turks, then please, stay here. If not, show them how good, kind, _and _mature you are and come with us," she said, drawing a finger down his bare chest.

Cloud knew that she was attempting to distract him into accepting, but he couldn't actually deny that her method was working. Curse Tifa for being a beautiful woman! "This isn't exactly a fair argument," he murmured against her lips after she had moved forward to kiss him.

"I know," Tifa said with a giggle. "Now are we going or not?"

Cloud's eyes were half lidded as he gazed at her, Tifa's fingers combing through his damp spikes. "Fine," he muttered, closing his eyes as the kiss deepened. He was beginning to burn for her when Tifa abruptly pulled back, a naughty smile on her face.

"Eat your lunch and go to sleep," she said, literally prancing out of the room.

Cloud groaned and cursed himself for being so weak-willed when it came to Tifa. Was he truly doomed to a life where he wouldn't be able to deny her anything? Biting down viciously into a half of sandwich, he sat down on his bed with a sigh and ate. He could only hope that Shinra wasn't up to his old tricks. Cloud was really in no mood for anymore fighting. He was done and all he wanted now was to live his life in peace and with his family. It had been a while since he had wanted something so desperately and it was truly the first time that he had his wish within his grasp. Nothing and no one would stand in his way now.

……

"You both look so pretty," Marlene complimented as she watched both Tifa and Yuffie in their dresses for the dinner.

"Thanks, Marley!" Yuffie exclaimed, hugging the little girl tightly.

"Is it true?" Marlene asked her with big, curious eyes.

"Is what true?" Tifa asked the girl, brushing her chestnut hued hair out a few times until it was smooth and shiny.

"That aunt Yuffie and Uncle Vincent are together now?" Marlene asked curiously.

"Where did you hear that?" Tifa asked the child in interest.

"Well, I heard Uncle Vincent talking to Cloud about looking good for Yuffie. It was more like Cloud teasing him, but why else would Vincent want to look good for Yuffie?" the girl asked curiously.

"Vincent just doesn't want me to look hotter than he does," Yuffie grumbled. "But yes, Marley, Vince and I are an item. No one is supposed to know about it though. We'll keep it our little secret, okay?"

Young features scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"

"Because we both know how your dad and Uncle Cid are. They'll blow the roof off of this place and they try to go all protective-dads on me. Seriously, I don't need another Godo," said Yuffie, rolling her eyes. "We'll keep it a secret between us girls, okay?"

"Okay!" Marlene said excitedly. "Can I put on my dress now?"

Tifa nodded and smiled at Yuffie in relief. Though it really seemed like more of a manipulation on Yuffie's part to keep a secret, the ninja was right. Tifa didn't think that either Cid or Barret were ready to know about the two of them being together.

There was a knock at the door and Yuffie walked over to get it, a wolf whistle filling the room. "Why, ladies, I didn't know there could be so many beauties in one room," Reeve complimented as he stood in the doorway and looked at them.

Marlene smiled brightly and pranced over to hug Reeve around the middle. "Do you like my dress, uncle Reeve?"

"Why yes, sweetheart. You're the most beautiful girl in the room," the commissioner complimented, watching her twirl around in a lavender colored puffy dress. "Are we ready to go?" he asked the women.

Yuffie nodded and grabbed her coat, walking out the door with Marlene. Tifa followed, pulling on her own coat, since there was a warning of potential snow. "How have you been, Reeve?" she asked as they walked down the stairs.

"I'm good; thank you for asking. And you?"

"We're doing great. I'm really glad you found time to get away from work. We miss you around here," Tifa said, patting his arm. They stepped into the bar and looked around, finding no one else there. "Where is Cloud?"

"I offered to take you all in one of the Shadow Fox's and he eagerly accepted. He said something about inspecting the Healin Lodge before he allowed you all to set foot there," Reeve said with a grin.

"What's he inspecting for? Dynamite? Radioactive poisoning?" Yuffie asked, rolling her eyes.

"He just wants us to be safe," Tifa said sternly, giving Yuffie a pointed look as she motioned towards Marlene.

"Is Mr. Rufus going to hurt us?" Marlene asked in confusion.

"No, sweetheart," Tifa said immediately. "But we know how Cloud wants us to always be safe, don't we?"

Denzel walked out of the kitchen with a glass of juice in his hand. "Are we leaving yet?" he asked.

Tifa smiled and rubbed his neatly brushed hair. He looked handsome in a suit, and though he wasn't complaining the way she would've thought, he still looked a little uncomfortable. "We're ready, aren't we?"

Reeve nodded. "I just hope that it really doesn't snow tonight. The last thing we need is to get stranded there," he said as they walked out towards the truck.

……

By the time they arrived, the sun had completely disappeared and the weather seemed to have gone colder. Yuffie's teeth chattered, though she was thankful that Tifa had insisted on them wearing warm, thick coats. They stepped out of Reeve's truck and Marlene slipped her hand around hers for warmth. Cloud, Vincent, Cid, Shera, Barret, and Red were standing outside in the cold, waiting for them.

"What took you so long?" Cloud asked, his breath misting out into the cold. He was wearing a flimsy jacket over a dark blue dress shirt.

Vincent eyed Yuffie briefly and gave her a half smile as she approached him and squeezed his hand before any of the other men could see it. Marlene was giggling behind her hand as she looked at Vincent, and the older man just made a small sound of amusement.

"Reeve wasn't paying attention to the roads and he got out on the wrong one," Yuffie said, glaring at the leader of the WRO.

"And then he refused to ask for directions," Tifa said with a small laugh. "We're not too late are we?" she asked with a frown. Knowing Cloud, he had probably been assuming that Shinra had had them run off the road.

Cloud shook his head and took Tifa's hand as she began to walk up the stairs, leading everyone towards the entrance. After knocking a few times, Reno opened the door with a cocky grin on his face.

"Took you guys long enough! I was about to break out the drinks for myself," he said, stepping back and allowing them to enter.

"How are you, Reno?" Tifa asked him with a smile.

He took her hand and gave it an exaggerated kiss. "Better now that you're here," he assured her, quickly releasing her when he noticed the glare on Cloud's face.

As everyone piled into the foyer of the suite at the lodge that Rufus occupied from time to time, the host himself stepped out of the next room. "Welcome," he greeted. "I was beginning to wonder if you would come tonight."

"We're here for the free booze," Yuffie chimed in, breaking through the tension that had begun to rise.

"Hell yeah," Cid put in, receiving a reproachful look from his wife.

"We should begin dinner if you'd like," Rufus offered. Almost everyone left the room, venturing into the next, except for Cloud and Tifa. "Is there something on your mind?" he asked the both of them.

Tifa smiled. "We just want to thank you for taking the first step into making a friendship between all of us work," she said, nudging Cloud in the ribs.

Rufus nodded once and offered her an honest smile. "I know you have no reason to believe me, but I want to right what my father destroyed. There's a lot one learns when they're on the brink of death. Isn't that right, Cloud?" he asked lightly, giving the other blond a clever look.

Cloud's lips thinned into a line, but he nodded. "I just hope you're being honest about this. I think it goes without really saying what I will do if you put my family in danger once more," he said, his tone only slightly dark and foreboding.

"I can assure you that the last thing I want to is to hurt anyone, let alone anyone from AVALANCHE. I hold a great respect for what you were capable of doing, Cloud," Rufus said.

Cloud seemed to relax fractionally at his words, but Tifa could still feel the tension in him. They both watched Rufus walk away and she turned to look at Cloud. "Are you okay now?" she asked quietly, brushing a hand through his spikes.

Cloud relaxed into her touch and wrapped his arm around her waist, pressing their foreheads together. "I'm okay knowing that you're all nearby in order for me to protect you," he whispered.

Tifa smiled and kissed his chin. "You think we should tell the children about us being together now?"

"I think they'll be happy," he replied with a nod. There was a series of exclamations coming from the dining room and Cloud moved away from Tifa quickly before pulling her into the room behind him.

The children were standing by the massive double doors looking out into the dark night. Except that it wasn't as dark as it should've been. Thick clusters of snow were falling down from the sky in what looked like a storm. Reno was standing off by the door that led towards the kitchen, listening to a small radio. "Seems like the storm changed course and decided to hit us first," he commented, winking at Yuffie.

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the redhead and then turned to look at Cloud. "How long is it going to be?" Yuffie asked, holding Marlene in her lap from her seat at the table.

"Seems like it'll be all night and possibly all day tomorrow," he chuckled loudly. "Funny, isn't it? It seems like we're all going to be stranded together!"

Cloud suppressed a groan and looked helplessly outside. He felt Tifa's hand slide against his and once again he felt a little more at ease. Tifa and the children were close by and Rufus seemed to be honest for the first time in his life, though he still seemed to be far too keen on the hair flipping. But being stranded with him and his Turks for more than a few hours? How were they going to survive that? Besides, the damn snowstorm had ruined his special plans for the gift he had for Tifa.

Cloud let out a small sigh and squeezed Tifa's hand back. It seemed like they were in for a long night.

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

…

You see? I need to stop trying to predict the length of my stories. It just makes me look like a doofus when I keep adding chapters. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this piece. Next one will pick up with dinner, Reno and Rude causing a bit of tension for our favorite guys, and some Marlene and Denzel cuteness. We'll also see what Cloud has planned for Tifa, and a bit of how Vincent started to have interest in Yuffie, since there have been questions regarding that. Thank you so much if you took the time to review. I've been running out of time lately, so if I didn't reply to your review, know that I'm very thankful that you took the time to read my work. I've fallen behind with my replies, but school can do that to you. Thankfully I'm almost done with the class I'm taking. Again, thank you for reading and I hope everyone has a great week!

Joey

P.S. please excuse any grammatical errors, typos, and repetitive words. I'll check this over after I get some sleep…


End file.
